Oscar Peterson gone...

[bverkerk]

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/12/24/obit-peterson-oscar.html

[Doug Grant]

How fortunate I am to have enjoyed Oscar's work for so many years.......in 1946 I went to Montreal with my high school football team, and on Saturday night we went to the Victoria Hall in Westmount to hear the Johnny Holmes Orchestra.......I was absolutely amazed at the brilliant young piano player with the band......his name was Oscar Peterson.
A couple of years later, I started work in Montreal and used to go to the Alberta Lounge to hear the Oscar Peterson Trio.. (His guitarist at that time was Ben Johnson, and I played some gigs with Ben a few years later),
I was asked to find a band for a dance at my home town, and, can you believe, they turned down Oscar's group because he wanted too much money...the fee would have been $300!!
RIP Oscar.....

[Ron Hearn]

Here's the link to the NYT obit:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Obit-Oscar-Peterson.html?_r=2&8au&emc=au&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[zula]

Sad to hear this. Rest in peace, Oscar Peterson!
James Brown last year, Derek Bailey the year before also passed away christmas time.

[Ron Hearn]

Some smoking OP - try tapping your foot to this one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBIyri8E8II

[Brian Nation]

I was remembering a fascinating conversation I heard many years ago between Oscar Peterson and Peter Gzowski (another brilliant and greatly missed Canadian) on Gzowki's CBC morning show. Lo and behold, it's on the CBC site. Highly recommended listening:

Gzowski in conversation with Peterson (http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-68-391-2317/arts_entertainment/oscar_peterson/clip9)

After you've listened to that three or four times, click here (http://archives.cbc.ca/300c.asp?id=1-68-391) for more CBC radio and TV clips with Peterson.

[Ron Hearn]

Here's a link to Steve Voce's bio in The Independent:

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article3284870.ece

[Gregg Simpson]

In preparing a tribute show for Oscar Peterson on the Gregg Simpsion Jazz Hour it brought back great memories of seeing the Trio with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen at the Queen E. in 1964.

They were astonishing as much for the group's arrangements and interaction as for Oscar's playing alone.

As far as recordings, the Sound of the Trio album is still my one of my favourites.

Hope many will listen in early January to the tribute show on www.artisanradio.com at 4pm, Thursday. The date will be posted on the Forum.

Oscar Lives!

[Gavin Walker]

The first time I met and shook hands with Mr. Peterson I simply said, "It's an honour to meet you and an even bigger honour to hear you, thank you" to which he replied,'thank you young man'. I was 12. The second time I met him I was introduced to him by Don Thompson and was very much older and I said, 'Big Pete.....I'm honoured once again to meet you'. He broke into a big laugh and said, 'only friends call me that and I think I made a new one, nice to see you again.' I was awed.

For me the 4 CD set on MPS called "Exclusively for My Friends" plus the CD on MPS called 'Exclusively for My Friends: The Lost Tapes' are representative of Oscar Peterson at his very best. Those discs I would take to a desert island or do a master class on the art of Jazz piano to a group of students. There will be a lot of happy musicians in Jazz heaven when Oscar enters the gates.

[Brian Nation]

I met Oscar backstage at the Queen E around 1979. I got to hang out with him for one second, during which he said "hello". I'll never forget that word. I also won't forget shaking that massive hand.

. . . the 4 CD set on MPS called "Exclusively for My Friends" plus the CD on MPS called 'Exclusively for My Friends: The Lost Tapes' are representative of Oscar Peterson at his very best.

I confess I wasn't Oscar's biggest fan, for the usual reasons. Until I heard that set. These are essential recordings. As I understand it, they were recorded in a private home and that probably explains why he was less interested in displaying his prodigous technique and more in just playing great, swinging, soulful music. His Perdido is definitive and Wave is nothing short of astonishing.

See how smart I am?

[Ron Hearn]

Radio Tribute to Oscar on Dec. 30th 8am-10am Pacific time by Len Dobbin.

Details below:

Today we present an OSCAR PETERSON memorial salute (1925-2007)

Produced and hosted by Len Dobbin
11am – 1pm CKUT 90.3 fm
www.ckut.ca [and archived at that address]
Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
December 30, 2007

OSCAR PETERSON

AT THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL [VERVE]

*52nd Street Theme – 1956

THIS IS OSCAR PETERSON [BLUEBIRD]

*I Got Rhythm – 1945

*Humoresque – 1945

THE WILL TO SWING [VERVE]

*Fine and Dandy – Sept. 18, 1949 – Carnegie Hall

GET HAPPY [DREYFUS JAZZ]

*Debut – 1950

*Tenderly – 1950

*In The Middle of a Kiss – 1950

*Jumping With Symphony Sid – 1950

1951 [JUST A MEMORY]

*Air Mail Special – 1951

MERCURY SONGBOOK [MERCURY]

*Sweet Lorraine – 1965

PARIS JAZZ CONCERT [OLIVI]

*Main Stem – 1963

OSCAR PETERSON & DIZZY GILLESPIE [PABLO]

*Dizzy Atmosphere – 1974

BURSTING OUT [VERVE]

*Daahoud - 1962

LIVE AT CBC STUDIOS [JUST A MEMORY]

Cookin’ at the Continental – 1960

THREE ORIGINALS [MPS]

*Seven Come Eleven – 1969

A NIGHT IN VIENNA [VERVE]

*Requiem - 2003

LIONEL HAMPTON

THE VERVE JAZZ BOX [VERVE]

Air Mail Special - 1953

JAZZ AT PHILHARMONIC

J.AT.P. IN TOKYO [PABLO]

Don’t’ Be That Way (Gene Krupa) - 1953

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

JAZZ MASTERS 1 [VERVE]

Just One of Those Things - 1957

ELLA FITZGERALD

RETURNS TO BERLIN [VERVE]

This Can’t Be Love - 1961

SINGS THE DUKE ELLINGTON SONGBOOK [VERVE]

Squatty Roo - 1959

CHARLIE PARKER

COMPLETE ON VERVE [VERVE]

Night and Day - 1952

STAN GETZ

JAZZ MASTERS 8 [VERVE]

In Never Entered My Mind – 1957

LESTER YOUNG

A JAZZ ODYSSEY [VERVE]

Pennies from Heaven - 1955

BEN WEBSTER – COLEMAN HAWKINS

COMPACT JAZZ [VERVE]

You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To – 1957

DAVE YOUNG

PIANO-BASS DUETS – COMPLETE [JUSTIN TIME]

*In A Mellotone - 1995



CANADIAN CONTENT: 17 of 26



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